The word for “Mother” in Aramaic is Ima – pronounced with a long “E” sound. In Hebrew it is – Aima - sounds almost the same but depending on the way it is used can denote various concepts. The name of my latest painting for the Fioretti Collection refers to a more expanded usage as the Female aspect of the Creator….the manifestation of the Creator within the physical world.
In the Semitic/Eastern mind there is no division between “heaven and earth” – it is ALL the Creator and all of Creation exists in Unity and Oneness. Historically, the Western mind views its “universe” as “us versus them” and bases almost all of its beliefs on a separation between “heaven and earth.”
At the time texts now considered sacred were written in the East the aspects of the Creator and of all Creation were defined under the category of Abba – or Aba – (Father) and Aima or Ima (Mother). Aba was the presence of the Creator that manifested within the non-physical realms and Ima was the presence of the Creator in the physical manifestations of Creation. Eventually, Ima/Aima was also referred to as Shekinah. In the stories written about the Hebrews wandering through the wilderness after leaving Egypt ( the Exodus ), the Shekinah guided the tribes as the Pillar of Dust during the daylight hours and the Pillar of Fire during the night. The Shekinah later evolved into the concept of the “Holy Spirit” and during the first three hundred years of the growing Christian sects and communities the Holy Spirit was referred to as “She.”
When scribes first wrote about the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth everything was written in Aramaic. Jesus spoke in Aramaic. The Aramaic word he is quoted as using for “Kingdom” - as in “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” - was “Malkuta” (a feminine gendered word). Later, when “Malkuta” was translated into Hebrew, the word used was “Mamlaka” (a feminine gendered word). When Hebrew writings were translated into Greek, the word “Basileia” was used (a feminine gendered word). When Jesus said “The King-dom of Heaven is within you” what his Aramaic audiences heard and what the literal translation should have been is “The Queen-dom of Heaven is within you.”
In the year 325 C.E. the Roman Emperor Constantine assembled the regional leaders of the young Christian movement together to decide on a unified Articles of Faith. They met in Nicea, in what is now modern day Turkey. Systematically, the Council, under the direction of the Emperor, eliminated all references to the “Feminine Divine” (among many other radical actions taken). Within a few days, in 325 C.E., the Holy Spirit went from being referred to as “She” to “He.” The Emperor and the Council of Nicea transformed what had begun as a sect within Judaism into the world’s first totally “Male” religion.
In the Semitic/Eastern mind there is no division between “heaven and earth” – it is ALL the Creator and all of Creation exists in Unity and Oneness. Historically, the Western mind views its “universe” as “us versus them” and bases almost all of its beliefs on a separation between “heaven and earth.”
At the time texts now considered sacred were written in the East the aspects of the Creator and of all Creation were defined under the category of Abba – or Aba – (Father) and Aima or Ima (Mother). Aba was the presence of the Creator that manifested within the non-physical realms and Ima was the presence of the Creator in the physical manifestations of Creation. Eventually, Ima/Aima was also referred to as Shekinah. In the stories written about the Hebrews wandering through the wilderness after leaving Egypt ( the Exodus ), the Shekinah guided the tribes as the Pillar of Dust during the daylight hours and the Pillar of Fire during the night. The Shekinah later evolved into the concept of the “Holy Spirit” and during the first three hundred years of the growing Christian sects and communities the Holy Spirit was referred to as “She.”
When scribes first wrote about the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth everything was written in Aramaic. Jesus spoke in Aramaic. The Aramaic word he is quoted as using for “Kingdom” - as in “The Kingdom of Heaven is within you” - was “Malkuta” (a feminine gendered word). Later, when “Malkuta” was translated into Hebrew, the word used was “Mamlaka” (a feminine gendered word). When Hebrew writings were translated into Greek, the word “Basileia” was used (a feminine gendered word). When Jesus said “The King-dom of Heaven is within you” what his Aramaic audiences heard and what the literal translation should have been is “The Queen-dom of Heaven is within you.”
In the year 325 C.E. the Roman Emperor Constantine assembled the regional leaders of the young Christian movement together to decide on a unified Articles of Faith. They met in Nicea, in what is now modern day Turkey. Systematically, the Council, under the direction of the Emperor, eliminated all references to the “Feminine Divine” (among many other radical actions taken). Within a few days, in 325 C.E., the Holy Spirit went from being referred to as “She” to “He.” The Emperor and the Council of Nicea transformed what had begun as a sect within Judaism into the world’s first totally “Male” religion.
RSS Feed
